Boa Vista Island Full-Day Tour: North to South Discovery

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.59 (70 reviews) 77% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/15

Duration7h–8h

GroupUp to 32

LanguagesEN · DE +4

PickupAt your hotel

A full arc across the island in one day, from protected beaches to desert dunes

A guided full-day tour of Boa Vista, Cape Verde, traveling north to south across the island's beaches, villages and desert landscape with an air-conditioned vehicle, sandboard, and lunch included. The guide speaks English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and other languages, and hotel pickup is arranged. The route covers seven to eight hours and includes sandboarding on dunes that reach the sea, turtle nesting beaches, Pavoacao Velha village, Sal Rei's markets and fishing port, a beached shipwreck, and the 50-meter dunes of Deserto de Viana.

7h–8h

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Boa Vista's natural and cultural sites

Sandboarding on vast sand dunes
Explore caves and observe turtles
Relax at the biggest beach in Cape Verde
Visit the oldest village, Pavoacao Velha
Shop and explore markets in Sal Rei
See the shipwreck at Cabo Santa Maria
Photo stop at Deserto de Viana dunes

The Experience

Seven to eight hours means the day starts early and holds the full span of Boa Vista's geography. You begin at Morro De Areia Beach and Nature Reserve, where the caves shelter turtle nesting sites and you can explore them on foot. From there, the route moves to Santa Monica, the largest beach in Cape Verde, where the water is clear enough to swim and the sand stretches long enough to feel like the only person there. The vehicle is air-conditioned, which matters when the sun is direct and the stops are spaced across open terrain.

Sandboarding on dunes that slope toward the ocean is the physical centerpiece. The dunes rise 50 meters in Deserto de Viana, a small Sahara on the island's southern edge, and you glide down them with the Atlantic visible at the base. The sandboard is included, and the guide will point out where marine life sometimes surfaces. Before you reach the desert, you pass through Pavoacao Velha, the oldest village on the island, founded in 1620. Walking through it is a shift in pace—traditional Cape Verdean houses, locals who still live the way the island did centuries ago, and no tourism machinery between you and the place.

Sal Rei, the island's capital, is where the day pauses for lunch and culture. The fishing market is active in the morning, the municipal market sells local goods and souvenirs, and the Shipwreck Museum sits nearby. Lunch and one drink are included. On the north coast, Cabo Santa Maria holds the beached carcass of an old Spanish ship, a protected turtle nesting beach where the wreck and the wildlife exist side by side. The guide will stop for photos at the dunes and at the shipwreck—both are the kind of sight that photographs differently than memory sees it.

What’s included

Air-conditioned vehicle for the full day.
sandboard for the dunes.
lunch and one drink in Sal Rei.
hotel pickup and return.
a guide who speaks English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and other languages.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelInfant seats availableNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Spot Travel Tours

Is this one for you?Book this if you want a structured day hitting beaches, dunes, villages, and caves across the island without deciding the route yourself—the guide handles the itinerary and pacing.